Stupid Nintendo. "Yeah, I'll just try out Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros. on the 3DS for a bit." And three and a half hours later, I'm having to force myself to put it down because I need to sleep.

So yeah, it's pretty darned good so far. Mixes things up just enough that I'm addicted all over again despite having played through all the three previous M&L efforts (of which the original and Bowser's Inside Story are probably tied for best in the series... Partners in Time was just a little too finicky).

I'm torn about the 3D. For some reason, the 3D in that game makes my eyes more tired than certain other games, and yet I still wanna keep it on, because it makes the game pop. It's not like Pokemon, where I basically just turned it on for watching newly encountered critters in 3D for a bit, going "ooh" and then turning it back off.

Well, I said I was down for it last time and then I was just at work instead. I think. Not sure I even worked out what timezone it was happening in. But I'm theoretically down for theoretically doing it again.

The single greatest arcade shooter ever made is free, although only the PC version at the moment. Mac version is on the way once they find the version that runs on current-day hardware. Gridrunner++ is, for my money, Llamasoft's finest hour, and when it comes to arcade shooters there's still nothing that comes close.

Exactly. It's the single best shooter ever made, easily beating out Treasure's fantastic attempts at the crown and anything Cave has ever done. As amazing an achievement as that is, I'm not going to pretend Gridrunner++ didn't manage it. One guy in Wales topped anything Japan has ever created in the shooter department using 4MB disk space, although to be fair it was Jeff Minter.

I can ramble off some great hyperbole too but I'm not going to argue when you're so head over heels for an IOS game that anything I say is just going to be responded to with 'my indie obscure darlings are better than everything'

Which, sure man, whatever. I'll go back and wallow in the mud of my plebian obscure Nippon shooters while you preach the transcendent glory of an iPhone game from these lofty digital hills.

I don't even know where to begin with the assumptions made. Let me knock a few of them down-

1) I own both the Saturn version of Radiant Silvergun and Dreamcast Ikaruga, plus Xbox 360 versions.2) I've imported every Cave shooter that will play on my stock US Xbox 360, because Cave is awesome.3) Gridrunner is not iOS. It's PC.4) Why on earth would I care where a game is made?5) Llamasoft isn't an "obscure indie darling" any more than Treasure, Cave, Toaplan, Eighting, Irem, Psyikyo, or G.Rev.6) Seriously, Gridrunner++ isn't an iPhone game. It came out in 2002, roughly the same time Ikaruga landed on Dreamcast. They didnt' have iPhones back then. (And yes, I had to Wiki the dates. It's been 11 years.)7) Is this a discussion or am I just responding to a bad attitude born out of I don't even know why?

You made declarative statements, I disagreed and you made more declarative statements in response, ignoring my disagreement and spinning it into your statement. Thus I was annoyed. I can't say I react well to having the words taken from my mouth.

That being said, I think that there's little discussion to be had. You think it's the bee's knees, I think it's a forgettable time waster.

Should probably be somebody on the other side of the Atlantic, to even out event scheduling.

RE: TF2 night I'm up for it pretty much any time on a weekend.

AND I'm going to shill for a second here: I've started a Lets Play series of Games That I Worked On, starting with Red Faction: Guerrilla. Part 1 of which is on the Youtubes here (click the link for the actual playlist). Watch, comment, share, if you wish. Ask questions and I will try and answer in Part 2 (or 3 or 4 or whatever). I would kind of like to turn this into A Thing (at least until I run out of games that I worked on).

The first volume of YDKJ is a DOLLAR and ONE PENNY and there are also TOO MANY GAMES on sale, I'm really rather overwhelmed. Argggh.

TF2: My hours are not consistent, so my input is kinda useless. However, literally the only way I'll play TF2 is w/ you guys (playing games w/ total strangers is high on my list of Things Which Cause Physical Discomfort That's Actually Probably Just Mental), so I can try to work out something if a general consensus starts to form.

I'll cheerfully join the TF2 madness. I've never played it before but I do know my way around an FPS, so maybe I won't bog us down?

Being good with the Steam sale and have only bought two things so far- The Bridge, which isn't really doing it for me despite seeming like it ought to, and Gone Home, which I'll get to later. I'm trying to be good because I have other people to buy stuff for right now. We'll see how well that works out.